Restoration Opportunities Optimization Tool (ROOT)

Restoration Opportunities Optimization Tool (ROOT) was developed out of a need to more efficiently and effectively communicate ecosystem services to decision-makers. ROOT is an ecosystem services decision-support tool to help translate the technical detail of ecosystem services analysis into outputs that satisfy both high level stakeholder requirements for simplicity as well as provide the underlying data and results to allow a more technical audience to evaluate ecosystem service trade-offs and the aggregation of quantifiable ecosystem service benefits within a landscape.

Technically, ROOT works by applying a multi-objective integrated linear programming algorithm on the iterated product of the projected marginal benefits of ecosystem services and a randomized proportional representation of the weight of different beneficiaries. ROOT then selects from all possibilities the most optimal areas for the provision of ecosystem services in areas that are of most benefit to people of interest. The model provides quantitative ecosystem services results as well as an estimation of “agreement” regarding whether an area is optimal or not for investment. ROOT has been designed to be scale-independent and to appeal to users within the environmental, agricultural, economic, and business sectors.